Manchester City clashed heads with Newcastle United at St. James’ Park earlier tonight as they hoped to secure a good result on the road in the third round of the EFL Cup. The Mancunian club made a solid start to the game but were held to a scoreless draw at half-time.
Alexander Isak broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute. However, Pep Guardiola‘s men failed to find the equaliser and crashed to a hard-fought 1-0 loss away from home which knocked them out of the EFL Cup.
Let’s take a look at how each Manchester City player fared during the clash against the Magpies.
GK: Stefan Ortega – 6.5/10
Ortega made a few solid saves at the back but conceded the only goal of the game in the 53rd minute.
CB: Manuel Akanji – 6.5/10
He didn’t do much wrong at the back and was accurate with his ball distribution.
CB: Josko Gvardiol – 6.5/10
He made some important clearances inside his half and won a couple of aerial duels as well.
CB: Nathan Ake – 6.5/10
Ake performed his defensive duties well and was a good presence on the ball.
CM: Rico Lewis – 6/10
He struggled to get into the flow of the game.
CM: Kalvin Phillips – 6/10
Phillips did his fair share of defending but was far from convincing at the centre of the park.
RW: Sergio Gomez – 6.5/10
The Spaniard had a couple of lively moments but failed to make a difference in the final third.
CM: Oscar Bobb – 7/10
He caused a lot of headaches for the Newcastle defenders but there was no goal for him.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 6/10
Kovacic never got going in the Newcastle half and was fortunate to last 67 minutes.
LW: Jack Grealish – 6.5/10
He made a few key chances for his teammates but failed to find the back of the net.
ST: Julian Alvarez – 6/10
The Argentine talent had some bright moments in and around the opponent’s penalty box but struggled to finish off his chances.
Substitutes:
LW: Jeremy Doku – 6.5/10
Doku made an instant impact off the bench.
CM: Matheus Nunes – 7/10
He added more creativity and dynamism to Guardiola’s midfield.
RW: Phil Foden – 6/10
Foden struggled to get into the flow of the game.
